Tree Basket Crimping Tool

ABSTRACT

A wire crimping tool can include a top portion with a distal end and a tool shaft portion that can be attached to a drill. In some embodiments, the tool shaft portion can have an opening with a square cross-section that can be used to attach the wire crimping tool to a square drill attachment. The wire crimping tool can rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise about its longitudinal axis. In some embodiments, a wire crimping tool can be used to tighten the wires of a wire tree basket around a tree root ball.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority benefits from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 62/741,838 filed on Oct. 5, 2018. The '838 provisional application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a tool that can be attached to a power drill and used to tighten wire tree baskets around a tree root ball

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wire tree baskets are used in the field-grown tree industry to facilitate handling and transport of trees from a tree farm to planting sites or to commercial retailers. Such tree baskets wrap around the base, sides and top of the tree root ball and ensure the root system stays intact and viable during loading, shipping and transplanting the tree. Once the tree arrives to its planting site, the wire tree basket can be removed. Alternatively, some planters choose to plant the tree with the wire basket as it provides support to the tree as it establishes its root system into the landscape.

The support provided by a tree basket during planting can reduce the need for staking the tree which adds additional cost to a planting project. Additionally, tree stakes must be timely removed to prevent girdle trunk damage which can result in insufficient nutrient supply to the distal portions of the tree and, if left untended, tree death.

Once a root ball is inserted into a wire tree basket, the wires of the basket must be pulled and tightened around the root ball, a process known as “crimping”. Currently, crimping is done manually using pliers or a T- or J-shaped crimping tool with a distal end that can be placed over a wire. The tool is then rotated by hand to twist the wire to an angle effectively tightening the basket around the root ball.

Manual basket crimping is a time-consuming and labor intensive process that increases the production cost of tree farming. Furthermore, crimping by hand can result in varying degrees of wire tightness throughout the basket, some wires can be overtightened while some wires can be insufficiently tightened.

A wire basket crimping tool that can be attached to a handheld power drill would be more efficient than manual basket crimping methods. Furthermore, such a tool would result in consistent tightening of a wire basket around a root ball for uniform structural support to the root ball and tree during transport and/or planting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Shortcomings of existing crimping tools are overcome by a wire crimping tool comprising:

-   -   (a) a top portion with a base and a distal end, wherein the         distal end includes a first wall and a second wall with an         opening formed therebetween; and     -   (b) a tool shaft portion configured for attachment to a drill.

In some embodiments, the base of the top portion is circular in cross-section and includes a bottom opening that is oppositely disposed to the distal end of the base.

In some embodiments, the tool shaft portion can include a tapered first end and a second end. In at least some embodiments, the tapered first end can be configured to be inserted into the bottom opening of the base.

In some embodiments, the second end of the tool shaft portion can have a circular outer surface with an opening formed therein, the opening being square in cross-section and configured to attach the wire crimping tool to a square drill attachment.

The wire crimping tool can be rotated clockwise or counter-clockwise about its longitudinal axis.

In some embodiments, the distal end of the wire crimping tool can be positioned over a wire and rotated by a power drill to twist and shorten the wire.

In particular embodiments, the wire crimping tool is used to tighten wires of a wire tree basket around a tree root ball.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of a wire crimping tool positioned over an uncrimped wire.

FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the wire of FIG. 1A after crimping via rotation of the wire crimping tool.

FIG. 1C is a perspective view of a wire crimping tool illustrating dimensions of some embodiments.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tool shaft portion of a wire crimping tool.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a top portion of a wire crimping tool.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of a tool shaft portion of a wire crimping tool.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one end of a drill attachment portion that can be attached to a wire crimping tool.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a user using a wire crimping tool attached to a drill to crimp and tighten the wires of a tree basket around a root ball.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT(S)

Turning first to FIGS. 1A and 1B, crimping tool 10 is shown.

Crimping tool 10 can include top portion 12 with base 16 and body 14 that terminates with distal end 20 formed therein and defined by wall 18 a and wall 18 b. In some embodiments, the length between wall 18 a and wall 18 b can be ¼-inch (0.635 cm). In some or the same embodiments, the depth of distal end 20 can be ½-inch (1.27 cm).

In some embodiments, base 16 and/or body 14 can be circular in cross-section. In at least some embodiments, the diameter of base 16 is greater than the diameter of body 14. In at least some embodiments, base 16 and body 14 can be continuous. In other embodiments, base 16 can be detached from body 14.

Crimping tool 10 can include tool shaft portion 22 with tapered end 30 (shown in FIG. 2). The tapered end 30 can be inserted into opening 28 (shown in FIG. 3) located on the bottom of base 16 to facilitate attachment of top portion 12 to tool shaft portion 22. As shown in FIG. 2, height I and width J of tapered end 30 can be ⅝-inch (1.59 cm) and ½-inch (1.27 cm), respectively.

In some embodiments, tool shaft portion 22 can include circular outer surface 32 with opening 34 formed therein that is square or rectangular in cross-section as illustrated in FIG. 4. Such a configuration can make crimping tool 10 compatible with square drill attachments. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, crimping tool 10 can be attached to adaptor end 23 of drill attachment 24 via insertion into opening 34 (shown in FIG. 4) of tool shaft portion 22. Opening 34 can be located on the bottom of tool shaft portion 22, that is, opposite to tapered end 30. As shown in FIG. 5, adaptor end 23 of drill attachment 24 can include tapered end 25 that can be inserted into opening 34 of tool shaft portion 22. In some embodiments, height K and width L of tapered end 25 can be ⅝-inch (1.59 cm) and ⅜-inch (0.95 cm), respectively.

In some embodiments, drill attachment 24 can be a male drive socket adaptor. In some preferred embodiments, drill attachment 24 can be a ⅜-inch male square drive socket adaptor with ¼-inch drive shaft 26. In some embodiments, the male drive socket adaptor is hexagonal or rectangular.

Other embodiments of the tool shaft portion of the crimping tool can be configured to accommodate drill attachments with non-square cross-sections such as, but not limited to, hexagonal or rectangular.

In some embodiments, the diameter of base 16 is greater than the diameter of tool shaft portion 22.

In some embodiments, tool shaft portion 22 functions to attach top portion 12 to a handheld power drill (partial views of the distal end of power drill 60 are shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B). In at least some embodiments, top portion 12 can be configured to directly attach to power drill 60.

FIG. 1C illustrates dimensions of components that can be used in various embodiments of device 10. Height A of top portion 12 can be 2¾-inch (6.99 cm). In some embodiments, height B of top portion 12 can be ½-inch (1.27 cm), height C can be 1⅛-inch (2.86 cm), height D can be ¼-inch (0.32 cm), and height E can be ⅞-inch (2.22 cm). In some or the same embodiments, the diameter of base 16 can be ⅞-inch (2.22 cm).

In some or the same embodiments, height F of tool shaft portion 22 can be ¾-inch (1.91 cm). In some embodiments, the diameter of tool shaft portion 22 can be ¾-inch (1.91 cm).

In some or the same embodiments, height G of drill attachment 24 can be ¾-inch (1.91 cm) and height H of drill shaft 26 can be 1-inch (2.54 cm).

During use, crimping tool 10 is connected to a drill and can rotate clockwise (or counter-clockwise) about a longitudinal axis.

As shown in FIG. 1A, during use, a user mounts concave distal end 20 of crimping tool 10 over uncrimped (straight) wire 46 such that the wire rests between wall 18 a and wall 18 b.

The user then uses power drill 60 to rotate crimping tool 10 and twist, bend or “crimp” the wire such that its length is shortened, illustrated in FIG. 1B (clockwise rotation is indicated by the curved arrow). In some embodiments, the wire is rotated to an essentially 90° angle.

Such a method can be used to crimp a wire tree basket around a root ball. The crimping process can be repeated until all necessary wires are crimped, and the root ball secured. As shown in FIG. 6, a user crimps straight wires 50 of wire tree basket 52 using crimping tool 10 mounted to power drill 54. As straight wires 50 are manipulated by crimping tool 10 to crimped wires 56, wire basket 52 is effectively tightened around root ball 58.

In some embodiments, the impact driver of the power drill is configured to disengage when an appropriate torque for wire basket crimping is reached such that further rotation of crimping tool 10 is inhibited. This prevents overtightening of the wire basket around the root ball.

In at least some embodiments, the torque of the impact driver can be 205 foot-pounds.

Crimping tool 10 can be used in other applications including, but not limited to, tightening wire fencing.

In some embodiments, crimping tool 10 can be attached to a bench drill press or other non-handheld drill devices.

While particular elements, embodiments and applications of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood, that the invention is not limited thereto since modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, particularly in light of the foregoing teachings. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A wire crimping tool comprising: (a) a top portion with a base and a distal end, wherein said distal end comprises a first wall and a second wall with an opening therebetween; and (b) a tool shaft portion configured for attachment to a drill.
 2. The wire crimping tool of claim 1, wherein said base has a circular cross-section.
 3. The wire crimping tool of claim 1, wherein said base includes a bottom with an opening formed therein, wherein said bottom is oppositely disposed to said distal end.
 4. The wire crimping tool of claim 3, wherein said tool shaft portion includes a first end and a second end.
 5. The wire crimping tool of claim 4, wherein said first end is tapered.
 6. The wire crimping tool of claim 5, wherein said tapered first end of said tool shaft portion is inserted into said opening of said base.
 7. The wire crimping tool of claim 4, wherein said second end comprises a circular outer surface with an opening formed therein, wherein said opening is square in cross-section.
 8. The wire crimping tool of claim 7, wherein a square drill attachment can be inserted into said opening of said second end.
 9. The wire crimping tool of claim 1, wherein said wire crimping tool is configured to rotate clockwise or counter-clockwise about a longitudinal axis of said wire crimping tool when attached to said drill.
 10. The wire crimping tool of claim 9, wherein said distal end of said wire crimping tool is configured to twist and shorten a wire placed between said first wall and said second wall when rotated by said drill.
 11. The wire crimping tool of claim 1, wherein said wire crimping tool is configured to tighten a plurality of wires of a tree basket around a tree root ball. 